Gun sling



Sept. 944. P. SMITH ETAL 6 GUNSLING Filed June 16,1942 2 Shets-Sheet ,1

w Hur cley E Emich I Hnwtlrd HQEmmH-L Patented Sept. 5, 1944 Hartley P. Smith, United States Army, Long Beach, Calif., and Howard B. Booth, Arlington,

} Application Jime 16, 1942, Serial No; 447,296

(Granted under the act of M'arch 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 2 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes'without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a gunsling, and in particular to a gunsling which is adapted for military purposes. When used by troops, slings must be adjustable to fulfill the following requirements:

A. Parade sling. This requires a neat appearing, taut sling.

B. Sling rifle, on shoulder.

C. Sling rifle, across back.

D. Loop sling. One end of thesling is looped about the steadying arm.

E. Hasty sling, utilizing a slack sling to steady the arm in firing.

In the slings heretofore used to perform the required functions, two parts were required, each having a hook member on one end for engage- 'ment with receiving means therefor located at intervals on the other part. Since the ends of the sling parts were employed, severe limitations wer placed on the universality of employment of the sling. Thus, item C above Would determine theminimum total length of sling to accommodate the largest soldier carrying the largest pack on his back, while item D would determine the maximum length which could be adapted to the soldier with the shortest arm. These limitations are difficult of reconciliation in the known sling where the ends hold the connecting means. According to the invention this difficulty is eliminated by employing a single sling in which one end performs no adjusting function but is merely paid out and left hanging free. Thus, only a minimum length need be determined by the requirements of item C, and for purposes of item D a strap of any given length may be reduced in effective length down to almost zero value.

No less desirable are other important advantages of the novel sling, such as quick and easy adjustment, saving of material, and ease of manufacture.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to produce a gunsling which shall have great flexibility of adaptation together with speed, certainity and ease of adjustment.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rifle with the sling in place at parade position,

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the loop sling in use,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified sling, and

Figures 4 to 9 .are detail views of the novel features of the sling of Fig. '3.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, there is shown a rifle I which will not be described in detail since it forms no part of the present invention; The rifle is providedwith a forearmsling swivel 2 on'a barrel band 2' and a stock sling swivel 3. The one-piece flexible sling 4 has fixed to one end a metallic threading clip 5 .and the other end is passed through a D ring or eye -6, folded back and stitched or riveted as at l. I Separable parts of the assembly comprise another D ring -8 carried by a snap hook '9 and a keeper ID with friction arm ll pivoted at [2. 4

In assembling, the clip 5 is passed through the ring 8 of the snap hook and then through the ring 6 on the other end of the sling. The keeper I0 is then threaded onto the sling, and the clip 5 passed through the front swivel 2 and back through the'keeper. The snap hook 9, if not already attached, is then engaged in the stock swivel 3.

For parade sling, the end 5 with the keeper arm ll loosened, is drawn to tighten the sling and the keeper is placed near the end 5 and locked. To produce a'loose sling from this position the end 5 is merely pulled downward at right angles to the sling. This opens the keeper arm II and carries the keeper forward, after which a transverse pull on the sling will draw the end 5 toward the front swivel 2 until the desired slack is obtained, after which the keeper I0 is locked. Thus the functions of adjustments A, B, C and E above may be fulfilled merely by moving the keeper. The loop sling adjustment D is accomplished by removing the snap hook 9 from the stock swivel 3, placing the arm'through the loop back of the ring 6 and adjusting for propel length by moving the keeper ID (see Figure 2). The ready made loop to receive the arm (which loop will slip into close engagement with any size of arm) is a distinct advantage of the sling of this invention, since in prior slings the arm loop had to be closed in place by the user which proved to be an awkward proceeding. Furthermore, the sling length in this and other positions was not adjustable to a nicety as shown herein.

In Figure 3 is shown a sling with improved features embodied in the threading clip, loop ring and hook.

The threading clip or sling tip 5. is deformed or upset to provide a protuberance l3 requiring acertain degree of force to pass it through the keeper Hi. This prevents the sling tip from being accidentally jerked through the keeper l and front swivel 2.

Another feature is the replacement of D ring 6 by a double loop buckle 6'. This has a narrow loop l4 and a wide loop IS. The buckle is fixed to the rear terminus of the sling by passing the latter around th medial web vI6 of the buckle and stitching as at IT. The front tip 5 is passed downward through the rear D ring 8, then downward through the smaller loop M of the buckle 6' and upward through the wider loop [5 of the same, whence the assembly is completed in a manner identical with the Figure 1 sling.

In the Figure 1 modification, there is a possibility that the noose formed using a D ring would draw up tightly enough to restrict blood circulation in the shooters arm. Using the sling of Figure 3, if the strap is first loosened in the buckle, the arm loop may be adjusted to lit the individual arm by pulling the strap through the narrow opening until the loop is fitted snugly about the arm. The sling may then be pulled through the wide buckle opening until tight in the buckle without changing the size of the loop.

The snap hook 9 is much simpler in design. Being formed of a single piece of material it is simpler to assemble and remove and easier of manufacture.

We claim:

1. In a gunsling for a rifle having a forearm swivel and a stock swivel, the respective ends of the said gunsling being implemented for attachment to the said rifle swivels and conditioned to be stretched between the said swivels tautly for parade sling and loosely for sling rifle, the

stock end of the said gunsling being detachable from the said stock swivel for loop sling, the

combination of a ring member, a flexible band one end of which is permanently secured to the said ring member, the flexible band being threaded through the ring member to form a loop portion constituting said loop sling, a snap clip portion being adapted upon detachment from the said stock swivel to'receive the arm of the gunner and adjustable by means of the said ring member to arm size, a frictional keeper, the flexible band being passed through the said keeper, threadable through said forearm swivel and foldable thereafter upon itself and the said keeper being adapted to receive the free end of the band after threading through the said forearm swivel to form a second loop, the said second loop being adjustable upon release of said keeper to regulate the said band when secured to the said stock swivel tightly for parade sling or loosely for sling rifle and further adjustable when the band is detached from the stock swivel to condition the gunsling for loop sling.

'2. In a gunsling for a rifle having a forearm swivel and a stock swivel, the respective ends of the said gunsling being implemented for attachment to th said rifle swivels and conditioned to be stretched between the said swivels tautly for parade sling and loosely for sling rifle, the stock end of the said gunsling being detachable from the said stock swivel for loop sling, the combination of a double ring buckle having a center web, a flexible band one end of which is permanently secured to the said center web of the double ring buckle, the flexible band being threaded through the two rings of the buckle to form a loop portion constituting said loop sling, a snap clip adapted to hook on th said stock swivel and having ring securement in the said loop portion of the flexible band, the said loop sling loop portion being adapted upon detachment fromthe said stock swivel to receive the arm of the gunner and adjustable by means of the said buckle to arm size, a frictional keeper, the flexible band being passed through the said keeper and threadable through said forearm swivel and foldable thereafter upon itself, the said keeper being adapted to receive the free end of the said band after threading through the said forearm swivel to form a second loop, the said second loop being adjustable upon release of said keeper to regulate the said band when secured to the said stock swivel tightly for parade sling or loosely for sling rifle and further adjustable when the band is detached from the stock swivel to condition the gunsling for loop sling, the latter adjustment of the said keeper being independent of the adjustment of the said buckle for arm size regulation.

HARTLEY P. SMITH. HOWARD R. BOOTH. 

